Iraq

President Bush Meets with President Talabani of Iraq
President Bush (June 25): "I complimented the President on the progress that the government has made. I complimented the President on the fact that as security has improved, he and his fellow officials are reaching out to all aspects of society to help people realize the blessings of a free life." Full Text

Statement by Ambassador Ryan Crocker on the Death in Baghdad of State Department Employee Steven Farley
Amb. Crocker (June 24): "We and all who believe in a brighter future for Iraq condemn this heinous attack in the strongest possible terms. We remain committed as ever to helping Iraqis achieve the peace, stability and prosperity that will make such acts of terror a thing of the past. Full Text

Condolences for Our Colleagues in Iraq
Secretary Rice (June 24): "The attack in Sadr City that killed State Department employee Steven L. Farley, along with Department of Defense civilian and military personnel today, is a terrible reminder of the dangers that our colleagues face daily in advancing our critical foreign policy goals." Full Text 

Recent Developments in Iraq
Amb. Ryan C. Crocker (June 5): "Like a number of things that we’re dealing with in Iraq, my focus on this is more on getting it done right than getting it done quick. That said, the Iraqis have made clear they do not want to go beyond 2008 under a Chapter 7 Security Council resolution, so there’s a clear deadline there. And both governments have also been clear that we would like to get the Strategic Framework Agreement done as early as we reasonably can. We’ve set the end of July as a notional date, and we’re certainly going to try to meet that." Full Text

Latest Developments in the Iraqi Refugee Admissions Program
Senior Coordinator James B. Foley (June 3): "This has been, I think, a week of some milestones in our efforts to meet the humanitarian needs of Iraqis and fulfill our humanitarian obligations to them. Not only did we have, I think, significant results in May in terms of the arrival of Iraqi refugees, but we also notably had the first arrival in the United States last week of Iraqis who were processed in country. In other words, they were interviewed, they were processed, pre-screened, interviewed by DHS, out-processed, and traveled from Iraq to the United States. The first two, I believe, arrived in the United States last week. And of course, we are extremely eager to expand the frontiers of in-country processing, and we can get into that if you’re interested." Full Text | Fact sheet

Contract Opportunities
The Iraq Investment and Reconstruction Task Force, U.S. Department of Commerce, helps U.S. companies participate in reconstruction and other business opportunities in Iraq. The State Department's Office of Commercial and Business Affairs also provides information on reconstruction contracts.